GLEN ELLYN, IL -- Big Buck Hunter has become a cult favorite in bars and taverns, and now it's an obsession for competitive videogame players around the world. National qualifying matches for the sixth annual Big Buck World Championship opened this week and will run through Oct. 31. Contests take place on participating Big Buck machines, connected to the Internet.

During the month-long Big Buck National Online Qualifying Tournament, players are competing for 64 coveted spots, and a chance to win the $15,000 grand prize at the 2013 championship match from Nov. 8 to 9. The championship, which is a double-elimination bracketed shootout, will take place in Chicago at the new Chop Shop on W. North Ave. In all, more than $63,000 in prize money will be awarded.

The qualifying tournament features five World Championship animals, and a tournament player must compete on each at least once. Players' 10 best scores from each animal will be added up to determine their overall point totals. The lower the point total, the higher the rank on the main leaderboard. The top 52 players in the country will qualify for the championship. If a player's total does not make the top 52, he or she will be ranked on the wild card leaderboard by an overall cumulative score (minimum of 50 plays). The top 11 from the wild card board will advance to the November championship. The remaining 64th spot is reserved for an Australian player.

Women who compete in the Big Buck Ladies Tourney must shoot a score high enough to rank in the top 20 (minimum of 15 plays) on the national Ladies Tourney leaderboard. If a player's highest score does not fit in the top 20, she will be ranked based on her cumulative score on the ladies wild card leaderboard. Women are also encouraged to qualify for the World Championship.

Big Buck Hunter is an arcade shooting videogame, or hunting simulator, that was created by Play Mechanix and published by Raw Thrills. The first game was released in 2000. The latest, Big Buck HD, combines elements from two popular versions, Big Buck Hunter Pro and Big Buck Safari, and renders the amalgamation in high-definition. It hit the streets in 2012, and is the version used for this year's tournament play.